Joshua Smith terrorised another man in his own home
A violent bully terrorised another man in his own home, punching him, choking him, and threatening to beat him to death with a bong. Joshua Smith, 22, met his vulnerable victim, Mark Palliser, in a Warrington homeless shelter shortly after being released from prison in February this year.
At Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, October 18, prosecutor David Polglase described how the pair’s relationship was marred by “abuse and violence from the defendant (Smith) towards the complainant (Palliser)”. This continued when the two were placed in a flat together on Arpley Street.
He said: “On April 8, the defendant punched Mr Palliser and caused him a nose injury. Blood got onto the floor of the premises, and the defendant made Mr Palliser clean it up. Mr Palliser, because he feared the defendant’s reaction, lied to a friend about the cause of the injury, saying he had a seizure.
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“On April 11, the defendant put his hands around Mr Palliser’s neck and squeezed so Mr Palliser struggled to breath. He says that lasted about five seconds. He was coughing and struggling to breathe.
“Following the strangulation the defendant threw Mr Palliser to the floor, which caused a graze to his face, and then continued to punch him. That attack was followed by the defendant threatening to strike him with a large, heavy glass bong – a cannabis pipe – and said he would kill him with it.”
The violence continued the following day, April 12, when Smith punched Mr Palliser in the face, causing bruising and swelling to his eye. Mr Palliser then gathered his belongings and fled to Lancashire, where he received hospital treatment.
Mr Polglase said: “The victim says he suffers flashbacks every few days. He feels bullied, he feels he cannot go back to Warrington, he doesn’t feel safe there despite the fact his sister lives there and he’s lived there most of his life. He was looking forward to the future before the defendant moved in.”
Roche pleaded guilty to assault causing grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm, and intentional strangulation. He has seven convictions for 18 offences, including assault, affray, racially aggravated battery, threatening behaviour, possession of an offensive weapon, and harassment.
Mark Shanks, defending, said the young dad-of-one could provide no reason for repeatedly attacking Mr Palliser except that he was “irritated” by him. He said: “The defendant himself was somewhat vulnerable, being 22. He was homeless, having been released from prison in February this year, and came into contact with Mark Palliser.
“Until around April he says they were on friendly terms. They stayed in the defendant’s room occasionally, smoking cannabis to stay away from other people in the shelter who were making use of much harder drugs. They had a bond in that respect.
“The defendant has not been able to give a reason why these offences started. He’s put it down to them getting on each other’s nerves. I don’t blame the victim at all and he certainly didn’t deserve to be assaulted in any way, but that is what happened. There doesn’t appear to be any provocation other than irritation.”
He added: “The defendant has sadly, at a young age, no support. Maybe due to his own doing. But he is driven to good work. He was working at the time of the offences, to his credit for somebody who was effectively homeless, and he intends to get himself on track.
“He is such a young man he hasn’t had the chance to be on track as an adult. He wanted to get a job, stay in his own flat, get away from undue influences and become a normal member of society.”
Judge David Potter sentenced Roche to a total of two years and eight months in prison. He said: These offences, the combination of them are so serious that a custodial sentence is appropriate. It’s sheer good fortune that more serious injuries were not inflicted on this person.”
